-------I am the second plane dividing line.

Amidst the blood-red mist, the deep forest was pitch black, and even the full moon could not illuminate the mountain path.

He had only ventured out to a distant valley to search for some plants, but little did he know that after digging up the edible wild plants, he stood up only to find that the mountain path he had come from had vanished, and behind him was a thick, blood-red mist.

At that moment, he was filled with regret. Why did he come out? He already had plenty of food.

Cold sweat seeped from his back, quickly soaking his tattered linen clothes. The fear of what lay ahead made Lu Ze's first reaction to pull out the Thunderstorm Talisman and lighter he had redeemed from the system.

Pulling the cloth bag tighter on his shoulder, Lu Ze tried to find his way back. He had already missed the time to rejoin his unit, which meant he would have to sleep outdoors tonight.

Everyone in the security industry has an hourglass used to tell time. When the sand in the specially made hourglass has completely turned back, it's time to return to the team. But his hourglass had already turned back long ago. After calculating the distance he had traveled, Lu Ze was certain that he wouldn't be able to return tonight.

The unfamiliar surroundings and the fear of zombies made Lu Ze tense all over, and he could only walk back by instinct.

He bent down, widened his eyes, and carefully discerned the outline of the road. The road surface was still somewhat blurry. Following the marks, Lu Ze stumbled along, occasionally tripping over protruding stones, but he would quickly get up and continue forward.

He has to live on, carrying on his parents' legacy, and live a good life until he's old.

When his body reached its limit, Lu Ze climbed a huge tree, ate several large steamed buns on a branch, drank his fill of water, rested enough, and continued on his way until that familiar booming sound came.

Lu Ze stopped, lit the explosive tag in his hand and threw it out, then gripped the steel knife that was more than half a meter long in his hand.

Whoosh whoosh! !

Two dark figures, accompanied by a foul stench, pounced forward, and Lu Ze brandished his steel knife.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Several slashes were delivered, the blades seemingly striking wood. Due to the excessive force, Lu Ze's body was also thrown back several steps by the recoil.

This was Lu Ze's first time facing these corrupted beings head-on, and he was clearly lacking in combat experience and even his strength was insufficient, despite having secretly practiced horizontal and vertical slashes countless times over the past few months.

Even though the recoil made his hands weak, the desire to live gave Lu Ze seemingly endless strength at this moment. He swung his sword again and again, so fast that it left afterimages.

The zombies' saliva and thick black blood stained Lu Ze's skin and clothes. The zombies' bodies were also covered with dense knife marks, but because they felt no pain, the allure of fresh flesh made them fearlessly rush forward, again and again.

"Use the Thunderstorm Talisman, quick!" The system's mechanical voice rang in my mind.

Lu Ze twitched his ears and kicked two more away. This time, he took out several Thunderstorm Talismans, threw them, and then leaped away at lightning speed.

boom!

Lu Ze was thrown back by the impact, his chest aching, he almost couldn't catch his breath, and his head was buzzing.

"Dead." The system spoke again.

"System, can you give me directions? I want to set up camp near the safe zone," Lu Ze asked tentatively as he rolled over and lay on the ground.

Since acquiring the system, apart from the first instructional explanation where the system spoke to him, at other times, no matter what he said or asked, the system acted as if it didn't exist and never paid any attention to him. If it weren't for the tangible food, he wouldn't feel any sense of reality at all.

This time, there was another silent moment. After a long while, Lu Ze thought it would be the same as before.

"You shouldn't go into the safe zone anymore. Go to the hunters' gathering place."

A hunters' gathering place?!

There was a faint sense of familiarity amidst the unfamiliarity, a familiarity I learned from Tao Tao's father.

Once, while he was playing at Tao Tao's house, another uncle came to talk to Uncle Tao. They mentioned the Hunters' Gathering Place, where it was said that the people were all strong zombie hunters. They operated independently but gathered together from time to time to hunt zombies in teams for the crystal cores in the zombies' brains, which they would then exchange for supplies with the New Territories.

The crystal cores of zombies are a forbidden zone that those in the safe zone dare not touch. Although they occasionally kill zombies, the zombies they kill have nothing in their heads. This is because those with crystal cores are all zombies of level one or higher. And if they encounter a level one zombie, they won't be able to return to the safe zone without losing several teammates, let alone even think about taking the crystal core.

It is said that just as there is infighting among humans, there are also zombies.

Even among zombies, there will be times when they kill each other. The weak will have their brains eaten by the strong. Especially now, the poor have safe zones, the new zones have barriers, and other powerful organizations gather to hunt zombies. There are even fewer humans who can get their hands on them, almost none. Without food, zombies won't die, but they will become weak. So, they will instinctively cannibalize each other, and then a leader will emerge to control all the zombies in the corrupted zone.

Logically, the number of zombies should have decreased under such circumstances. However, since some time ago, new zombies have been inexplicably appearing in the corrupted area. They seem to have been transported from another dimension, constantly replenishing the decimated zombies. Over time, with the increase and decrease, a balance has been achieved between zombies and humans, who hunt each other and grow together.

Like the human leader, the zombie king, the leader of the zombie horde, never appears.

Where do hunters gather?

As soon as he finished speaking, a map appeared in front of him.

"It's so far away."

"I don't have much energy, just enough for you to use for a month. If you can't provide me with crystal cores, I will disappear completely."

disappear? ! !

Lu Ze asked in alarm, "Then, I'll go fight the zombies. How many crystal cores do you need?"

Without the system, he would have to go back to the days when he couldn't even get enough to eat, and only then would he know what it felt like to have a full stomach. Thinking back to the past would be like a nightmare.

"Currently, I'm only in the initial stage of awakening, so one Tier 1 pill every three days is enough. Once your exchange level is high enough, I can help you open the system shop and exchange for more survival resources."

More resources for survival!

System Shop!

Lu Ze clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming.

That is hope for life, and also longing for the future!

"You will stay in the forest for ten days. Use the food you exchange to strengthen your physique. Contact the person on the other side of the exchange platform and ask if she has a way to temporarily increase your combat power. During these ten days, I will protect you. After ten days, you will go to the hunters' gathering place on your own. Whether you survive or not is up to you. After ten days, I will go into hibernation until you awaken me with an energy crystal core." As for thirty days, that is the limit.

"Okay. System, I want to ask, why do you want me to go to the hunters' gathering place?" This was his question.

"Your strength is my strength; otherwise, if I die, you will not live long. We help each other and win together."

A very real problem.

Lu Ze's precocious mind allowed him to understand the system's meaning. "I understand."

He currently has a lot of braised meat in his system inventory, but he doesn't dare to eat it within the realm to avoid others smelling it. He usually only dares to eat a few white steamed buns and meat buns. Now, he finally has the chance.

To avoid overeating and harming his stomach, Lu Ze ate a bite of vegetables and a bite of meat, thoroughly enjoying his meal.